In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by llowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.
Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust. Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen."
Former President Donald Trump welcomed RFK Jr.’s endorsement on Friday after the independent candidate suspended his campaign and said he would “throw” his support behind the GOP nominee for president.
Trump spoke at a campaign stop in Las Vegas and called Kennedy a “really a terrific guy.”
“I’ve had a long-term friendship with him. He’s a very talented person. It’s an honor. He just announced, and it’s a great honor, really, is. He’s very popular, he’s very smart, he has a great family, wonderful family, and so I’m going to say hello to him now,” Trump said.
Kennedy said during his remarks that Trump had asked him to “enlist him in his administration” and would likely have some kind of a role surrounding the “chronic disease epidemic.” Kennedy has long been an activist, questioning the use of vaccines and vaccine mandates to eradicate diseases.
A reporter asked Trump about some of Kennedy’s past statements on the topic, including his criticism of the Covid-19 vaccines, which Trump’s administration championed with “Operation Warp Speed” inorder to get them to the public quickly. Trump’s administration fast-tracked the vaccines by removing red tape surrounding the regular vaccine testing protocols.
“RFK Jr. has falsely said that the COVID vaccine is the deadliest vaccine ever made. What’s your response to that?” the reporter asked.
Trump dodged the question and replied, “Well, I’m going to have to see because I haven’t seen him yet. I’m going to see him in a little while.”
Trump rarely discusses his role in getting the COVID-19 vaccines to the public in recent months – a notable departure from his past boasting on the topic.
A day before he'll reportedly drop from the race, RFK Jr. released an 11-minute video on his stance on vaccines that's just riddled with anti-vaccine propaganda and mischaracterizations. It reminds me of my last conversation with Kennedy for this profile. https://t.co/8gWlPTm0KV pic.twitter.com/gPIyM6ZyCf
— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) August 22, 2024
